


Of Silver and Iron

by RuraScarlet



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, I Don't Even Know, M/M, Multi, cursing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-15
Updated: 2017-02-16
Packaged: 2018-09-24 14:52:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9766715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RuraScarlet/pseuds/RuraScarlet
Summary: Fairies grant wishes, but not what one asks for. One fairy grants one wish, the wish truest to the wisher's heart. No more and no less. A fairy can grant it for one only, as it takes so much power from their small, frail, bodies."Let me go!"A certain iron-clad knight captured one for his liege, but little did he know that the small being could not grant the royal wish. And as time passes behind the golden cage's bars, the knight and his liege prepare for the war they did not expect. And somehow amidst all the calamity, love prevailed, and they live in sickeningly bitersweet harmony.





	1. The Golden Cage on the Tea Table

“Let me go!”

The small fairy banged his fists on the golden cage. A silver, glittering article of clothing adorned on his pale, icy skin. Truly the epitome of beauty for fairies. Sadly, because of his young age and small size, he could not simply bust the cage door and leave. The guard who set the cage on the throne room’s tea table said nothing, and the young fairy’s wings folded down in disappointment. He didn’t want to be here...he would rather spend time with the fairy elder, his grandfather.

Oh no.  
He felt himself begin to cry.

He shouldn’t give up here. Not now. Not ever! He slammed his hands on the cage hinge, and tried to use magic but failed, wrists bruised and hurting he collapsed on the shiny cage base. The guard who was almost ready to leave saw this, and took a hankerchief from the tea table and folded it to a small bed for the fairy before slipping it between the cage’s gaps.

“...what...?”

He also put a sugar cube beside the makeshift bed, then said; “Hold out your hands.”

Bewildered by the guard’s actions, he held up his hands through the gap, and he was given a few drops of tea by the tip of a small spoon. He gladly drank it, but when he looked up to thank the guard, he had disappeared out the door to the hallway. He shrugged it off, he tried to. He sort of wanted to know who was so rude to capture him in the forest, but also was kind enough to care about his well-being. Oh well, he decided to fold down his wings and lay on the hankerchief bed for now.

\--

“My liege,”

A guard bowed before the king. The young man in red robes along with his fiancée had been signing official papers in the study, window slightly open to let in the cool breeze. “Rise, Otabek. There’s no reason to be that formal around me. We’ve known each other for years.”  
The guard rose courteously, replying;  
“You are the king still. And I’ve come to inform you about the present for thine majesty Isabella.”  
“For me?”  
The raven-haired lady gave a loving but questioning look at his beloved, who simply smiled and told her, “You shall have it when we finish these, at the throne room with a cup of tea.”  
Otabek saw no reason to linger, so he left the room without a sound.

Ah, that small fairy...he was impressed by the fighting spirit he had, though nearly powerless against the sturdy cage still tried his best to escape. The small fairy didn’t notice it, but the guard looked and studied him intently through the whole ordeal. He had the gaze that could pierce boulders, his crystal-like bluish green eyes that gazed outside like a tiger stalking its prey, yet he had the delicate, pristine form that would outdo any belladonna, and had he been human, he would’ve charmed every single sane person in this world.

But the eyes, Otabek mused, was a gaze of strength that even not all guards, soldiers, or warriors had. The eyes of a true person that fights to uphold their own. The eyes of a true soldier. The eyes that had captivated him for some reason. The eyes that he wishes he had, the intimidating gaze that he almost always feigned, yet, a fairy not nearly a tenth his size had it naturally. Like it was a permanent trait, and he respects that, he respects that so much.

He returned to the guard’s dorms and called it a day, stripping of his armor and neatly setting them at a stand. He should go to the public bath today to unwind...and think for a bit. He looked in the mirror, disgusted by the nasty scars that went along his left collarbone to his right chest.

He sighed.

No use dwindling on the past, but he still felt the guilt of the battlefield every time he saw the permanent mark. He should be proud of it. He should hold his head up high as a survivor. But he isn’t. He doesn’t feel right...he doesn’t feel right about killing someone, though it was the battlefield, though it was the enemy.

He sighed again.

He should get going, he thought, and took his satchel of toiletries to the bath run by demons.


	2. Clean and Simple

There was a certain succubus working at the public bath counter, well, not exactly working, but practicing magic under the cover of the front sign at his station. It wasn’t a terribly late hour yet, so the bath was nearly empty, save a few druids who rented rooms and a few who soaked after a day of hunting in the nearby forest. Though he is a demon, a succubus, specifically, he has never been summoned before. He also refuses to charm people into giving him sustenance, and would rather drink potions to deal with his monthly needs.

The store door dinged, breaking his daze and he quickly resumed professionalism.

“W-welcome to Yu-topia,”

Otabek walked up to the oddly timid seductor, then handed him a small stack of copper coins. The demon scrambled to count and store the money, then handed the guard a coupon for splash potions in the bath.

“The usual, sir Altin?”  
An older succubus with bleached hair asked as she smoked from her pipe. The gentleman nodded before going to his usual spot. She then threw a glance at her younger brother, who could only grin pathetically.  
“You know, Yuuri, if you want to go to that magic school so badly you can go ahead and talk to mom or dad.”  
She tapped the long pipe on the corner of the wall to drop ash, it’d be cleaned soon anyway so she didn’t bother grabbing an ashtray. She kept on smoking, waiting for a reply.  
“Well...I’m just a bit scared to, Mari...Ciela Pegasi is a long ways away from here.”  
“You know that they won’t be mad. After all, you spent five years away to study already, why not gun for the elite school while you’re at it?”

She stopped when she noticed her little brother crying. Ah, but she can’t be mad at him. So she altered her tone and said instead, “It’ll all come back to you, so it’s fine too if you want to stay with us a bit longer. Now I have to go man the merchandise shop, be careful at rush hour.”

And that was when Yuuri wiped away his tears, determined to come to a descision by nightfall.

\--

In the time that had passed, the king and his queen had finished with the official documents, and returned to the throne room for tea.

“So what’s the surprise~?”  
“If I tell you, then I wouldn’t be surprising you, would I?”

They both giggle like fools in the hallway until the throne room door was opened, and Isabella immediately noticed the golden cage on the table.

“Oh, Jean...” She walked closer and saw the fragile being sleeping soundly in the cage, feeling a bit sorry, she opened the cage door. It seemed the didn’t hear as he continued sleeping.

“...Isabella, do you remember the old bedtime stories we were read to as children?”  
“Fairies grant wishes...but only a single wish for the dream they want the most. Jean, I would wish for-” “Shush now, tell the fairy, not me.”  
Isabella silenced herself.

“He’s asleep, though...maybe later.”  
“As you wish, my love. Then shall we resume tea like we always do?”  
“Yes, please.”

And they reminisce of the childish fairytales, no matter how far the dreams were of them. For no matter what they wish for, they would still act for the bright futures ahead of them. After all, it’s not like they have anyone to grant their futures for them.

“Hm...Jean,” Isabella stopped the chatter for a moment.  
“Yes, my dear?”  
“If you were to take the wish for yourself, what would you wish for?”  
“I would say that I want the kingdom’s funds would go higher...so all my personal money can go to our wedding plans~!”

The wonderful lady blushed, and smiled, then burst into laughter.

“That’s so you!”  
“Well, it’s JJ style!”  
She laughed aloud now, in absolute bliss that her beloved retained his catchphrase from their childish years.

This, in turn, woke the fairy up, and he looked immediately to the open cage door. He flew out at a high speed, trying to get away, he scouted the area by flying up to the chandelier and looking around. No doors nor windows were open.

“Damn...” The fairy cursed at how tiny he was, hell no was he able to fight humans twenty times his size. He could sense that the royal suitor was a strong one, but what deterred him the most was the energy the king emitted, it wasn’t strong, at least not as strong as the lady, and it was an awkward type of magic, something the fairy saw as a possible threat.

Isabella took pity in it and looked the fairy in the eye. Her gaze was soft and unsure, clearly not used to confrontations and trying too hard to seem assertive. The king just observed intently, absolutely smitten by his beloved’s actions.

“We mean no harm, come down here.”  
“No way I’m coming down to you weird-ass humans!”  
“We just want a wish, and we’ll let you go!”

The small being flinched. These humans were as his people told them they would be. Wanting to use magical beings for their personal needs, that’s the one thing humans do. He stopped responding and sat at the edge of the chandelier.

“We understand how fairies are weakened after granting wishes, but please, it’s for our kingdom!”

He got a bit curious. It’s not like all humans are bad, and these ones seemed to know what they were doing. And of course, the guard that captured him, nor the royal suitor nor king had laid a finger on him yet. Hell, the cage door was even open when he woke up. So, in favor of wanting to go home, the fairy complied. “Fine. Make it quick, I have to go see the fairy elder.”

“...my wish is simple, to have this kingdom prosper, so Jean and I can have ease of mind in this castle together.”

The fairy sowly fluttered down and sat on the cage topper, looking Isabella in the eye.

“Weird.”  
“Excuse me?”  
“No, you’re telling the truth. And for a human, that’s pretty weird.”  
“My beloved fiancée wouldn’t lie, right?”  
“Shut up, nobody asked you.”  
“Don’t talk to him like that!”  
“Says the person asking me, a fairy, for a fucking wish. Let me concentrate.”

One wish and he’ll be out. He felt a bit odd, he always thought that his wish would go to someone he cared about, but it’s not like he’d lose anything other than the wish-granting ability. He summoned what power he could, but it wasn’t working. Was the king’s power overriding his? But he’s met stronger beings before without much issue.

“It’s not working, is it?” Isabella said softly, then sighed. “Well, I didn’t really expect much. You don’t have to force yourself...”  
“I can! I should be able to! I haven’t granted any person’s wish before!”  
“You may return in the morning if you wish, since the sun will set soon. I will have sir Altin escort you home.”

He banged the cage with his fist, glaring coldly to the king.

“Bitch, and have you catch another fairy to take my place? Not a fucking chance.”  
“Well, we’re a bit desperate, for this kingdom might fall soon. The next kingdom over plans to slowly colonize us by their economy. And sadly, it’s working. So you’re asking us to abandon the people we rule for a single fairy’s wish, tell me, do you seriously think we wouldn’t try everything there was?”

The small fairy was about to fire back at the lady’s words, but Jean smiled and raised his hand as an order to stay quiet.

“Isabella, my dear, that’s enough. We’ll try plenty of other ways, besides, this fairy asked to be sent home as well. What did I expect from bringing a child’s tale to practice...”  
“Jean, don’t be like that. You tried, don’t bring yourself down too much...”

The fairy finally learned their names, then he thought of something. He had an idea.

“...so, Jean and Isabella, right? You two want easy money for this whole joint?”

Isabella looked at him in distrust. “What is it now?”  
“I have your names...if I have your full names I might be able to do something, make a deal with a goblin, or even better, a demon.”

“...are you aware that human-demon relations are bad?”  
“Well, demon-fairy connections are much better. I’ll see what I can do, and if I succeed, I want something in return. You said you were desperate.”  
“Not desperate enough to ask a demon, but if you do it without getting caught by other humans, then perhaps we’ll let you try. What would you like to gain from this, may I ask?”  
“Jean, I’m not doubting you, but are you sure?”  
“We’ve tried with our own power, it’s time to ask for we can’t do it on our own.”

Isabella sat back down at her seat, looking down as if deep in thought.

“Go on,”  
“I want an enrollment for five people to go to Ciela Pegasi, I’m sure you know that magic school, so pull a few strings and get us in. Also for an alchemist or healer to come once in three days to provide free healthcare.”  
“Succeed this and consider it done.”

“...and maybe one more thing, that’s aside from the deal.”  
“Say it.”

The smile faded from Jean’s face, changed to an expression of questioning. Was he going to ask something nearly impossible?

“...a potion that will make me grow taller.”  
Isabella held in her laughter. “How about drinking some milk?” she joked.  
“No, I meant...taller. Human-size.”

Jean nodded in understanding. “Down the hall to the right is an alchemist’s room. He goes by the name Emil. Ask him for it.”  
“Thanks. Maybe you’re not much of a bastard as I thought.”  
“You said you needed our full names?”  
“Oh, right.”  
“I am Jean-Jacques Leroy, and my beloved there is Isabella Yang.”  
“She’s not exactly the queen yet, I take it?”  
“She is. Well, at least she’s the queen of my heart~”  
“Ew.”

And the rest of tea time proceeded with awkwardly joking banter. Pleasant. But still slightly hostile.

Maybe this won’t be so bad.


End file.
